New York City

[BR60103]

My wife has finally broken me down and we will be taking the Motorhome to the New York City area this fall.
We have booked a campsite in Jersey between the ferry dock and the LRV line.
I'll be interested in any suggestions: what to see, info on getting around, railway attractions. (What to avoid?)

[tomustang]

Try to avoid NYC's 5 boroughs with a motorhome, I would suggest taking a cab around.

[P5se Camelback]

Tom's advice is solid. I wouldn't want to have a break-down in any of the five bboroughs in a motor home! I've seen a car with a flat be stripped in the time it took for its owner to walk two blocks to get a tow truck from the neighborhood gas station!

Definately go up inside the Statue of Liberty! It is worth the trip! The view from the windows up in the her crown is awesome! The history of it goes without saying!

Most of the railroads that I'm aware of (mostly passenger) are under ground. I know they must surface somewhere, but you'll have to get that from someone else.

Get a good city map and a subway map ... study them prior to going, make small "Cheat Sheets" of where you want to go but DO NOT open a map and look at it while touring about the city. Keep your eyes open at all times. Keep your wallet in your front pocket.

Take the Staten Island Ferry over and back or the one that tours around Manhattan for a liesurely ride if you like boats/ships.

I'll leave the rest to someone from the area.

When we lived in the Philadelphia area, we had visitors from Wisconsin every Summer. They all wanted to see New York. We included the boat ride to see Lady Liberty on each trip. We also used to insist on spending one day in Olde Philadelphia; Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell, Elphreth's Alley, Betsy Ross's House ... all steeped in history ... good stuff.

Well, that's the best I can do about New York. I haven't been there since about 1991. The drive from soutwest Florida is just too much for me these days. Someone who knows New York better than I will have to do the rest.

Have a good time, but be forewarned ... no matter what you thought was a big city where you are from ... New York is a BIG city!

[MasonJar]

One of my favourite sites, and one I would consult for "interesting things to see" if I ever went to NYC, is <!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.forgotten-ny.com">www.forgotten-ny.com</a><!-- w -->. There are some specific railway listings, as well as lots of interesting architecture. The guy who put it together (Kevin Walsh) also wrote a book by the same name, and organizes walking tours.

Andrew

[eightyeightfan1]

My brother worked at La Guardia a few years back. He was on the Van Wyck on his way to work, when his car started to overheat. He pulled over opened the hood to check the radiator.He had just lifted the hood up, when he heard a noise coming from the back of the car. He went to investigate. Some guy had pulled up behind him and started to take his tail light lenses off! That quick!

Best bet..Take the cab.

[P5se Camelback]

My brother worked at La Guardia a few years back. He was on the Van Wyck on his way to work, when his car started to overheat. He pulled over opened the hood to check the radiator.He had just lifted the hood up, when he heard a noise coming from the back of the car. He went to investigate. Some guy had pulled up behind him and started to take his tail light lenses off! That quick!
Best bet..Take the cab.

I can attest to that happening ... I have seen an engine being removed on the side of Cross-Bronx Expressway as I went by in a 35 mph, bumper-to-bumper crawl one early evening on my way though the City. The wheels and tires were already gone.

Nothing is surprzing in that city, especially to a New Yorker ... they just glance quickly as they go by ... "Eh! It ain't mine!"

[jglfan]

Go to the top of the Empire State Building, the view is awesome. As mentioned there are several boat rides, the one I like is the Circle line route which circles the island. Check this because my memory is vague, but the Circle Lines pier is around 25th street, on the west side (the Hudson River). It is just south of where the aircraft carrier whose name escapes me is located. There are cool planes on the deck too. Also a destroyer and submarine there. The trip around Manhattan goes south on the Hudson past the Statue of Liberty (you'll need a separate ride to dock there) around the south tip where the Trade Center was and then up the East and Harlem Rivers. At the northern tip is the NYC (now Amtrak) swing bridge connecting their line to what used to be the west side freight line, now Amtrak to Penn Station. You should definitely go to Grand Central Station, it was refurbished a few years ago and is beautiful. Commuter trains run from it up along the Hudson. Take one if you have time, the trip starts underground, the signals are cool to see. The tracks surface (don't remember what street) on Park Avenue and pretty quickly wind up on an el. The track crosses the Harlem River near Yankee Stadium. Haven't been there since the old one was torn down and the new built. I loved the view of the old one from the train. It is a very scenic ride up the river, sit on the river side of course. If you take it up to Peekskill there are nice restaurants on the river.

Have a great trip and PM me if you like, I live about 1/2 hour from there.

[BR60103]

We have been there. briefly, before. We went up the Statue of Liberty but the height of the first observation deck terrified me so I left as fast as possible. (A double decker train is high enough for me). We also did the circle tour: The President was landing in the south end of the city that day so we did the trip backwards. Unintentional humour listening to the guide struggle to read her script from the bottom up.

[RobertInOntario]

My brother worked at La Guardia a few years back. He was on the Van Wyck on his way to work, when his car started to overheat. He pulled over opened the hood to check the radiator.He had just lifted the hood up, when he heard a noise coming from the back of the car. He went to investigate. Some guy had pulled up behind him and started to take his tail light lenses off! That quick!
Best bet..Take the cab.

I can attest to that happening ... I have seen an engine being removed on the side of Cross-Bronx Expressway as I went by in a 35 mph, bumper-to-bumper crawl one early evening on my way though the City. The wheels and tires were already gone.

Nothing is surprzing in that city, especially to a New Yorker ... they just glance quickly as they go by ... "Eh! It ain't mine!"

All of the above is convincing me to avoid NYC! RIght now, I have a love/hate relationship with the 'big city' (greater Toronto, with its 3-4 million people) that I live in. I like some things about Toronto -- it's neighbourhoods, multi-ethnic communities and restaurants, & especially our new railway heritage centre! -- but I'm weary of all the traffic, high taxes, concrete jungle, etc. I usually try to avoid big cities on holidays because they're not relaxing. Although my family & I recently had a great time in Quebec City and have enjoyed London, England on other trips. Just some rambling thoughts! Rob

[P5se Camelback]

... All of the above is convincing me to avoid NYC! ... I have a love/hate relationship with the 'big city' ... I usually try to avoid big cities on holidays ... Just some rambling thoughts! Rob

I can't speak for the others, but as far as I am concerned, it doen't really matter which BIG city it is, you must keep your eyes open and maintain an awareness of your surroundings. New York is the same as most other BIG city's ... only more so!

We used to take our visitors from Fond du Lac, WI up to New York every summer, sometimes twice a summer, and we never had any trouble. No one ever accosted us. I had given my vehicle a thorough check-up prior to our visitors' arrival, so a break-down was unlikely and when in traffic, I drove like a New York cab driver (aggressively defensive) and we never had any problems. (My former wife couldn't watch when I was driving in traffic ... she had to cover her eyes! )

I think all we were really saying, Robert, is take all the normal precautions, and you and your bride will have a good time.

Other interesting places to see ... Radio City Music Hall, Times Square and the Museum of Modern Art. And if I remember correctly, there is a place on Times Square where you can get "cancellation tickets," (last minute cancellations,) for Broadway Shows at a reduced rate. [You haven't seen a live show in a threater until you've seen one on Broadway ... believe me! It is an experience you won't soon forget!] My prevously-mentioned former wife used to say, on a Friday or Saturday night, "Let's go to a show," meaning a movie. [I think that was an Upper-Midwest thing.] To me, a "show" was "live, on-stage." I took her up to New York to see "Phantom of the Opera" at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. She was BLOWN AWAY! She never called a movie a show again!

If you have an opportunity, go see a Broadway show!

[jglfan]

Regarding danger in the city, I too have seen the dismantled cars on the Cross Bronx Expressway. But I have parked on the streets many times with never a problem. And I have never had an encounter with anyone either. Several years ago I had to go into the city to the Brazilian embassy to get a visa. While I waited, several Brazilians told me to be careful in Rio, it was very dangerous for visitors. Enough that I got concerned. I asked the cab driver who picked me up at the airport to take me to my hotel about it. He had been to NYC. He told me it wasn't much different than Central Park. Use common sense. Don't wear expensive jewelry, and avoid the quiet areas at night. Walking the streets of NYC is a real trip, people watching is one of my wife's and my favorite things, and there is no where better to do so than Manhattan!

[P5se Camelback]

Clear-thinking solid advice!